The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets reported that Senate GOP members have shot down an attempt by Democrats to reverse the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing employers to decline coverage for some forms of birth control on religious grounds. The bill, which some reports say was due to a partisan attempt to collect women’s votes, was defeated 56–43. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said the Senate would vote on the issue again before the end of 2014.
The June 30 decision for family-owned company Hobby Lobby ruled that the employer was not required to provide insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act for some forms of contraception—in particular, abortifacents— that violated the closely held religious beliefs of the owners.
Democrats referred to their bill as the “Not My Boss’s Business Act,” saying it would prevent companies from interfering in women’s health-care choices. “Women should call the shots when it comes to their health care decisions. Not their boss. Not their government,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.), who introduced the bill with Sen. Mark Udall (D., Colo.).
Sen. Orrin Hatch said during a press conference, “This is the first time in American history that Congress will consider a bill intended to diminish the protection for the religious liberty of all Americans. It is part of a broader campaign to demonize religious freedom as the enemy, as an obstacle to certain political goals.”
Hatch said the ACA’s contraceptive mandate is “exactly the kind of situation that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was enacted to address, the kind of situation that should require government to justify why and how it wants to interfere with the exercise of religion.”
Rasmussen Reports poll results show a majority of Americans agree with the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision.
